Color Blindness Simulator
100% PrivateColor & Design ToolsPreview a palette or an uploaded image as people with color vision deficiencies see it.
Runs entirely in your browser. Your input is not uploaded to Ovatly or anywhere else.
#2563EB to #3C38C2
Left: original. Right: simulated.
#F59E0B to #D4DB37
Left: original. Right: simulated.
#16A34A to #4B4065
Left: original. Right: simulated.
#DC2626 to #98A526
Left: original. Right: simulated.
#7C3AED to #6368B7
Left: original. Right: simulated.
Simulation uses the Machado, Oliveira and Fernandes (2009) color vision deficiency matrices, the standard model most simulators implement. It is an approximation of how a design may be perceived, not a medical assessment, and individual perception varies.
- 1Type a palette of HEX colors, or keep the default set.
- 2Choose a vision type from the dropdown.
- 3Compare each original swatch with its simulated version.
- 4Optionally upload an image to see and download the full simulation.
Under the protanopia simulation, pure red #FF0000 becomes rgb(145, 142, 0), a dark olive tone: with no red-sensitive cones, red loses its brightness and shifts toward green-brown, which is why red-green pairs are risky for charts.
- The matrices simulate average dichromat perception; individual viewers vary, and the -anomaly types depend on severity, which this tool fixes at the model's standard step.
- Images are processed on a canvas in your browser at up to 720px on the longest side; the download is that simulated copy, not your original file.
- Simulation shows appearance, not legibility: pair it with the Contrast Checker, because simulated colors can also collapse contrast.
Deuteranomaly (weak green) is the most common overall, affecting roughly 5% of men; red-green deficiencies together affect about 8% of men and 0.5% of women. Tritan (blue) deficiencies are rare and usually acquired rather than inherited.
About this tool
The Color Blindness Simulator shows how a palette or an uploaded image appears under the main color vision deficiencies: protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia, their weaker -anomaly forms, and achromatopsia. It uses the Machado, Oliveira and Fernandes (2009) simulation matrices, the standard model most accessibility tools implement.
Related tools
Part of Ovatly's free tools in Color & Design Tools.